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A series of events stemming from an "improperly abandoned natural gas line" as many as 30 years ago led to the explosion of an Upper Arlington house last March, according to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
The PUCO's investigative report released today, July 24, said a gas line to the house at 3418 Sunningdale Way was not properly sealed and cut off from the main line by Columbia Gas of Ohio when it was replaced due to a corrosive leak sometime between 1985 and 1997.
The March 21 explosion that reduced the house to rubble, left seven others uninhabitable and damaged 18 others throughout the neighborhood occurred after a Columbus Water Department worker responded to a call for service at the address, confused the gas line for a water valve and then failed to fully close the line.
Columbia Gas of Ohio spokesman Dave Rau said July 24 the PUCO report was not intended to find fault in the incident.
He said there were a "very unique set of circumstances" that led to the explosion that were "very unlikely to occur again."
"Prior to 2008, Columbia Gas was not allowed to install or repair service lines," Rau said. "That was the responsibility of the customer.
"The customer would've called a plumber, and the plumber would've replaced the service line. Then the plumber was responsible to call Columbia Gas to have that new service line connected to our main."
Rau said Columbia Gas had no record of the newer gas line to the house, and noted the shutoff valve to the original, abandoned service line got mislabeled as a water line.
"As the report mentions, someone partially opened that valve on the original service line and that was the source of the gas that eventually went got into the house and caused the explosion," he said.
Rau said his company was "very thankful" no one was hurt from the blast.
"We will certainly work with the PUCO to address any concerns they have," Rau said.
Matthew Schilling, a PUCO spokesman, said the PUCO will hold an enforcement proceeding in the matter.
During those proceedings, Columbia Gas and other parties will be permitted to provide evidence and testimony before the PUCO ultimately determines if "corrective actions or monetary fines" should be imposed, Schilling said.
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Explosion investigation could take months
Upper Arlington Fire Chief Jeff Young said investigations into the explosion could take months to conclude.
Investigators from both Columbia Gas of Ohio and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio continue to look into how a 2,224-square-foot house at 3418 Sunningdale Way exploded Saturday, March 21. Owners Hidefumi and Mariko Ishida reportedly were in Japan at the time of the incident and had not returned as of press time Tuesday.
Upper Arlington Police Chief Brian Quinn said his office currently doesn't suspect foul play in the explosion.
"At this point in time, we have no reason to believe it was an arson," Quinn said. "We have no reason to believe there was any criminal intent."
Young said firefighters and medics responded to the scene within approximately five minutes of it being reported at 2:48 p.m. March 21.
He said Tuesday, March 24, that his division is working under the assumption that a leak and buildup of natural gas caused the blast because a mailman on his route reportedly smelled gas in the area and a Columbia Gas employee was responding to a reported gas leak at the time of the blast.
Upper Arlington city officials released 911 calls from the incident Tuesday. They support Young's assertions that the Upper Arlington Fire Division did not receive reports of a possible gas leak prior to the explosion.
According to a timeline of events released by the city Tuesday afternoon, a neighbor called the police department's nonemergency number at 12:46 p.m. March 21 to say a security alarm might go off because he intended to enter the property at the request of a Columbia Gas representative who was checking reports of a gas leak.
After that, Young said, the first call the fire department received was a report of the explosion at 2:48 p.m.
In the hours after the blast, bricks, shattered glass and other debris littered Sunningdale Way. No one was seriously hurt, which Young and area residents said was a miracle.
"To me, quite honestly, it's amazing," Young said hours after the blast. "A warm spring day with a volume of people out enjoying the day -- that someone was not hurt was, quite honestly, amazing."
Numerous homes on Sunningdale experienced structural damage and homes on nearby streets also had windows broken out and owners reported drywall cracking and other damage.
"I was laying down here on the couch and when it happened, it blew me three feet off the couch," said Mark Fisanick, whose home at 3430 Inverness Way is about one-tenth of a mile from the house that was destroyed. "It was like a grenade went off."
Some other neighbors whose homes were significantly damaged also were said to be out of town on spring break vacation.
According to a Monday, March 23, press release issued by the city, Upper Arlington's Building Division inspected several nearby homes and determined that six weren't safe for habitation and required structural or utility repair work.
The release said 18 homes sustained "minor" damage, but are safe for occupancy. Eight homes still had their electricity temporarily cut off by AEP Ohio March 23, including the six that had been deemed unsafe.
Fisanick's wife, Theresa, bruised her arm when the blast knocked her off balance while she was showering. She said there were cracks in her roof and 16 windows in her home were damaged -- including one that was blown out in a rear room where her son, Nick, was playing video games.
"I thought it was an earthquake," Nick Fisanick said.
Lin Blackwell, who lives nearby on Fishinger Road, said her aunt was visiting from California and also thought an earthquake had occurred.
"The doors on the second floor all blew open, and they close tight," Blackwell said.
Blackwell said her home experienced cracking on its ceilings and a third-floor window was broken. She added that she was in her backyard with five nephews when they heard the explosion, and they witnessed panicked golfers who previously had been enjoying the 60-degree temperatures at the Ohio State University Golf Course on Tremont Road.
"People were playing and then the golf course just froze," she said. "Then everyone on the golf course started running and someone said, 'Call 911.'"
PUCO spokesman Matthew Schilling said his agency is assisting the UAFD's investigation in an advisory role.
He said the UAFD and Columbia Gas will conduct their initial investigations of the explosion to see if any enforcement action is required. From there, Columbia Gas is required to provide an initial report of its findings to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration within 30 days of the incident.
The PHMSA and PUCO will make a determination of the cause of the explosion based on the initial report and any findings by the fire department.
He said the timing of that ruling "depends on the nature of the investigation."
In the meantime, he reiterated that people should take the smell of natural gas seriously.
"Any customer out there who wants to report a leak should contact their local utility and their local emergency responders," Schilling said.
Columbia Gas posted a press statement on its website Tuesday, saying the matter remains under investigation.
"Gas service remains shut off to the seven damaged homes. Before service is restored, Columbia Gas will perform a thorough safety inspection at each of those homes."